iPad 2 display is thinner but same resolution as iPad

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The excitement building around the iPad 2 is slowly growing as everyone anticipates a launch soon. Proof that an iPad 2 is already being manufactured has come via iFixYouri as it has managed to acquire an iPad 2 display from China.

For those of you expecting something fantastic, prepare to be slightly disappointed. This is an incremental update to the display and therefore doesn’t really introduce anything new. The main findings are that this display is thinner, and has a smaller bezel around it. The resolution is also thought to be exactly the same as the iPad, so no Retina display.

As for how much thinner this screen is compared to the iPad, the manufacturer has managed to knock off 1mm. Not much, but it may make a noticeable difference in the new iPad 2 casing, the feel in your hands, and overall weight of the tablet.

The smaller bezel can be seen in the following image:

So not only can Apple make the iPad 2 slightly thinner, there’s also the possibility for less casing around the display. That’s sure to make for a nicer looking tablet overall.

Speak Your Mind

hodar

From what I gather, the iPad 2 will have two cameras, both relatiavely low resolution. One facing forward, the second facing backward – essentially good enough for FaceTime and webcam, but that’s about it.

Other ‘features’ are an alleged dual-core processor, possibly a speed bump from 1 GHz to 1.2 GHz, an improved speaker, the ability to recognize when the iPad case it closed (so the screen shuts down and goes into Sleep mode when the screen is shut).

I question the necessity to improve resolution, unless they also increase FLASH memory size to compensate for the increased resolution of the video movie file (to compensate for the better display). Here’s the rub. Currently, you get a pretty decent picture on this display with a 1.5 GB DVD rip. If you double the horizontal resolution, and then double the vertical resolution, you now have a file that is 4x larger than the origional – which makes the file now equal to, or greater than the file capacity of a DVD. For a 10 inch screen – and viewing movies at a distance of 1-2 ft away – this is overkill. The screen is fine ‘as-is’.

Face it, when you have something as well designed as the iPad – there are really very few things you can to do to improve it. Increasing the processor’s speed – increasing the processor’s RAM will mean a ‘snappier’ response – which is incrementally better than the original iPad. I just don’t see anything more than evolutionary polishing on a solid design.

lamorpa

Thank you IHodar…

Cyberslammer

It’s also supposed to have 512MB of RAM, which will be great but hopefully they will bump it to 1GB.

hodar

Re: Cyberslammer

I agree, bumping the RAM from 256 MB to 1 GB, combined with the 1.2 GHz dual-core may make a difference. I’d like to see them also include a SpeedStep technology based clocking system installed, so the battery life can be maintained or extended.

My iPad uses 58 GB of the available 59 GB of space; so when I launch something like Kindle and open a book – there is a slight ~5 second delay. Bumping the processor to dual core/1.2 GHz would be handy for short bursts – but overkill for most uses. SpeedStep would be really nice.

The iPad only has 256 MB of RAM, not 512 MB. The iPhone 4 has 512MB. The iPad has the same RAM as the iPhone 3GS.